Package assembly



Aug. 10, 1965 R. E. DAVY PACKAGE ASSEMBLY Filed April 9, 1963 g 2 12 6-31 10 Amman/mm ,4

Emmi/0mm ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,199,671 PACKAGE ASSEMBLY Robert E. Davy, La Mesa, Calif., assignor to Coroga Company, Anaheim, ilalifi, a corporation of California Filed Apr. 9, 1963, Ser. No. 2'71,65 2 Claims. (Cl. 29656) This application is a continuation in part of Serial No. 178,054, filed March 7, 1962, for a Package Assembly, now abandoned.

This invention relates to a package assembly and particularly pertains to an assembly of packages for dispensing products comprising loose particles or pieces of fiakey or granular character such as are commonly distributed in sacks or bags.

An object of the invention is to provide a means of packaging merchandise of the above recited character with a multiple of packages joined together in a chain and adapted to be readily dispensed by a vending machine, and also whereby a multiple of packages of a product assembled in a chain may be initially packaged in a folded arrangement within a container in such manner that the latter may serve as a magazine from which the packages may be dispensed one or more at a time for subsequent separation of the packages from the chain thereof for individual delivery.

Another object is to provide a construction whereby adjacent rectangular sealed product containing bags in a chain thereof are joined together side-by-side in spaced relation to each other by thin, narrow, flexible severable ribbons joining only the corner portions of adjacent bags, and wherein the ribbons overlie and are securely and permanently adhered to the end marginal portions of each end of the bags against detachment therefrom, whereby said ribbons will serve as rip-cords to facilitate opening either end of a bag.

Another object is to provide a construction in the uniting ribbons whereby the bags are securely anchored thereon and whereby the ribbons are prevented from being pulled free of the bags.

Another object is to unite the adjacent packages in the chain thereof in such manner that when the chain is passed around a sprocket wheel and the sprocket teeth engage in sprocket receiving apertures of the package chain, each package in traversing the sprocket wheel will be supported only at its ends and thus suspended horizontally in space so as to avoid crushing of the packages and their fragile contents by pressure imposed thereon during dispensing thereof.

A further object is to provide a package assembly which will greatly facilitate loading of a package dispensing machine with a multiple of packages to be dispensed.

With the foregoing objeocts in view, together with such other objects and advantages as may subsequently appear, the invention is carried into effect as illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view showing a manner of joining together independent sealed product containing packages side-by-side in spaced articulate relation to each other with a sprocket receiving aperture between adjacent packages:

FIG. 2 is a view in section as seen on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1 showing the formation and construction of the ribbons uniting adjacent packages:

FIG. 3 is a greatly enlarged section taken on the line 33 of FIG. 1, showing the manner of forming and mounting the uniting ribbons:

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the end portion of a detached bag, showing the manner of utilizing the uniting ribbon as a rip-cord in opening an end of the bag.

3,199,671 Patented Aug. 10, 1965 FIG. 5 is a diagram depicting a multiple of packages as united to form as a whole a flexible chain of parcels adapted to be packed in folded relation to each other in a magazine, and showing the manner in which the chain of packages is adapted to be engaged and advanced by a sprocket wheel and the packages delivered from a vending machine:

FIG. 6 is a view in section and elevation as seen on the line 6-6 of FIG. 5 showing the manner in which the packages in a chain thereof are suspended while being advanced by a sprocket conveyor; and

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view as seen on the line 77 of FIG. 6 showing the manner in which a sprocket is engaged in the space between adjacent bags and showing the manner in which the uniting ribbon supports the corners of adjacent bags.

Referring to the drawings more specifically A indicates generally a package of merchandise here shown as consisting of a sealed bag 8 containing a product B to be vended, which bag may consist of any suitable flexible sheet material such as paper, glassine, cellophane and the like, such as is commonly employed in the manufacture of bags utilized as containers for flakey or granular substances such as potato chips, pop-corn, etc.

In carrying out the invention a multiple of the bags, of any desired number and complementary are aligned sideby-side with adjacent bags spaced apart and flexibly interconnected.

ln order that a multiple of the bags 3 may be readily linked together in a chain and also stacked one upon another in a magazine or assembled side-by-side in a container, such as a box or carton, the bags are preferably rectangular and of general flat formation having opposed side walls a-b of suitable flexible sheet material of the character above mentioned having its longitudinal margins c-d turned inwardly into overlapping relation and ad hered together, thereby forming a tube of indefinite length the side walls of which are abutted and sealed together at spaced intervals forming membranes constituting the ends of the bags between which the product B is contained. Subsequently the membrane is severed thereby producing independent individual packages, which are characterized by having substantially fiat parallel tongues e-f at the ends thereof. These tongues comprise overlying abutting portions of the side walls a-b which positions are adhered together under pressure and are preferably crimped transversely thereby forming the tongues throughout the lengths thereof with fine corrugations h whereby ends of the bags normally extend straight and are stiffened to resist bending.

The above recited package has long been on the market and per se involvetno invention other than it lends itself to carrying out the present invention wherein a multiple of bags 5 are aligned side-by-side in spaced relation to each other with adjacent bags united at their corners by elongate flexible links 1t3lti and thereby assembled in a chain which is adapted to be dispensed by a sprocket conveyor; the spaces s between the assembled bags affording apertures adapted to receive the teeth of sprocket wheels around whi h the chain is passed.

The invention herein primarily'resides in the formation and construction of thelinks ltlllil and is carried out by interposing the tongues ef at the ends of the bags between a pair of thin, narrow, pliable, tough but severable plastic ribbons mn which ribbons extend longitudinally of the tongues e-f and are adhered to the opposite sides thereof under pressure. The adjacent faces of the ribbons m-n are coated with an adhesive r whereby their adhesion with the bags is effected, and whereby the overlying elongate portions of the ribbons m-n extending between adjacent bags 8 are firmly adhered to each other throughout thereby forming the links of two plies of the ribbons thus materiaily strengthening the links against accidental rupture. A highly advantageous result attained by this construction coupled with the employment of an adhesive 1' which so strongly adheres the ribbonsto the tongues e-f and to each other as to preclude stripping the ribbons from the tongues or from each other, is that the bags are firmly and practically permanently anchored between the ribbons mn so that the bags can not be separated therefrom. This characteristic is augmented by reason of the ribbons m-n being intimately adhered together throughout the width of the space s extending between the ends of adjacent tongues c;, as shown in FIG. 3, which precludes either ribbon m-lz being stripped from the tongues eor vice-versa, thereby insuring against all possibility of the bags in a chain thereof becoming separated therefrom other than by severance of the links 10-10.

In applying the ribbons m-n to the tongues e-f they are positioned to overlie the corrugations h with the inner margins of the ribbons arranged to extend close to the juncture of the inner ends of the corrugations it and the contiguous side walls a-b of the bags which are rupturable, whereby after separating a bag 3 from the chain thereof by severance of the links 10-10 connecting adjacent bags, the combined ribbons m--n of either of the links jib-l may be utilized as a rip-cord to elfect opening of an end of the bag which is accomplished by pulling a severed end of the ribbon laterally relative to the bag so as to rip the tongue e or f engaged between the ribbons from the side walls a-b, as shown in FIG. 4 thereby opening the bag. This operation is facilitated by reason of the reinforcement and stillness imparted to the tongues ef by the ribbons m-rz adhered to the opposite sides thereof.

The connecting links 1-0-10 constitute unitary pliable ties on which the adjacent packages A or bags 8-8 may be swung back and forth relative to each other and thereby be disposed in either longitudinal alignment, at various relative inclinations, or in parallel relation to each other. The spacing between adjacent packages is of sutficient width and the links of such length as to permit one of the packages being freely inverted and disposed in seated overlying relation to its neighbor whereby the several packages in the chain thereof may be successively swung alternately back and forth, and the packages thereby arranged in a stack within a container C as indicated in FIG. 5, from which the chain of packages may be withdrawn longitudinally to effect discharge of one or more of the packages from the container.

The container C with its content of assembled packages is admirably suitable for use as a magazine for loading dispensing machines adapted to feed the chain of packages from the magazine and to dispense the packages one at a time from the dispenser which functions to separate the dispensed packages from its nei hbor by severing the connecting links 10-10; the invention being particularly intended for this purpose.

In FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrating a mode of dispensing the packages, wherein the sprocket conveyor D is shown as comprising a rotary shaft 11 carrying a pair of spaced rotors having radiating spokes 12 the outer ends of which are equipped with sprockets 14 projecting from inturncd shoulders 15 on the spokes 12. The pair of sprockets 14-14 on opposed spokes 12-12 are adapted to project into the space s between a pair of bags 8-8, with the adjacent shoulders 15-15 affording supports for the links 10-10 at the ends of the space. as shown in FIG. 6. As the sprocket conveyor D rotates with the package chain engaged therewith, the linked packages A are withdrawn from the magazine C and advanced over the sprocket conveyor as shown in FIG. 5; the chain of packages being delivered to a cut-olf mechanism E whereby the pair of links 10-10 between an end package A and a succeeding package may be severed to free the end package.

An important feature of the invention attained by the provision of the links 10-10 is that in supporting the chain of packages when traversing the conveyor solely by the links 10-10 at the ends of the packages, the latter are suspended at their ends, clear of the conveyor as shown in FIG. 6 and thereby protected against crushing.

Another important feature of the invention is the facility with which a dispensing machine may be loaded with the product which is effected by positioning a magazine C containing a length of the chain product within the machine and connec 'ng the lead package to the conveyor D, as compared with the present practice involving loading the machine with packages one at a time arranged in a stack which practice is obviously time consuming and is so costly in some instances as to render the use of a dispensing machine unprofitable.

The chain assembly of connected packages A or bags 8, thus formed may be directly delivered into a magazine or container C with adjacent bags stacked in connected overlying relation to each other as indicated in PEG. 5 and the magazine may be subsequently be set in a dispensing machine and the lead package A connected to a sprocket conveyor D whereby the assembly of packages may be delivered to discharge one at a time as before described.

The invention is particularly applicable for use in dispensing packages of such products as candies, shelled nuts, popcorn, potato chips, corn wafers and the like.

This application relates to the subject matter of a copendiug application filed herewith bearing Serial Numbe 271,666.

I claim:

1. In a chain assembly of packages embodying a multiple of one-piece product containing bags aligned side-byside with adjacent bags spaced apart, each of said bags comprising side walls having margins and opposed end portions, each of said end portions being straight and fiat transversely thereof and adhered together throughout to seal the contents of the bags therein and form independent, sealed bags; a pair of spaced elongate links uniting the margins of adjacent bags, each of said pair of links comprising a pair of flexible ribbons longitudinally overlying each other having an adhesive coating on their adjacent faces, said pair of ribbons being extended astride and inwardly of the outer margins of the sealed end portions of said bags and adhered thereto throughout said ribbons, said ribbons having their overlying portions extending between adjacent of said bags adhered together throughout.

2. A chain assembly of packages comprising a multiple of complementary product containing one-piece, independently sealed bags aligned side-by-side with adjacent bags spaced apart, said bags having opposed side walls and having opposite ends consisting of straight marginal tongues composed of overlying portions of said side walls adhered together; and ribbons uniting the multiple of bags consisting of a pair of ribbons extending longitudinally astride each of said marginal tongues and across the space between adjacent bags, the ribbons of each pair being permanently adhered to opposite sides of a tongue throughout said ribbons and to each other between the adjacent bags, the portions of said pairs of ribbons extending between adjacent bags being elongate with such portions of each pair overlying throughout the space extending between the ends of the tongues on the adjacent bags, and in which the adhesion of said ribbons to each other is throughout said overlying portions to permit adjacent bags to be folded in stacked relation upon eacn other.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,764,569 6/30 Knee 206-56 2,013,844 9/35 Sherman 229-69 2,628,013 2/53 Vogt 229-69 2,810,652 10/57 Armbruster. 2,854,054 9/58 Gross 221-71 FOREIGN PATENTS 132,749 9/ 49 Great Britain.

THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner. 

2. A CHAIN ASSEMBLY OF PACKAGE COMPRISING A MULTIPLE OF COMPLEMENTARY PRODUCT CONTAINING ONE-PIECE, INDEPENDENTLY SEALED BAGS ALIGNED SIDE-BY-SIDE WITH ADJACENT BAGS SPACED APART, SAID BAGS HAVING OPPOSED SIDE WALLS AND HAVING OPPOSITE ENDS CONSISTING OF STRAIGHT MARGINAL TONGUES COMPOSED OF OVERLYING PORTIONS OF SAID SIDE WALLS ADHERED TOGETHER; AND RIBBONS EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY CONSISTING OF A PAIR OF RIBBONS EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY ASTRIDE EACH OF SAID MARGINAL TONGUES AND ACROSS THE SPACE BETWEEN ADJACENT BAGS, THE RIBBONS OF EACH PAIR BEING PERMANENTLY ADHERED TO OPPOSITE SIDES OF A TONGUE THROUGHOUT SAID RIBBONS AND TO EACH OTHER BETWEEN THE ADJACENT BAGS, THE PORTIONS OF SAID PAIRS OF RIBBONS EXTENDING BETWEEN ADJACENT BAGS BEING ELONGATE WITH SUCH PORTIONS OF EACH PAIR OVERLYING THROUGHOUT THE SPACE EXTENDING BETWEEN THE ENDS OF THE TONGUES ON THE ADJACENT BAGS, AND IN WHICH THE ADHESION OF SAID RIBBONS TO EACH OTHER IS THROUGHOUT SAID OVERLYING PORTIONS TO PERMIT ADJACENT BAGS TO BE FOLDED IN STACKED RELATION UPON EACH OTHER. 